Proposition 13 was
sold to the public 31 years ago as a way of protecting homeowners
during a time of rising housing prices – and the corresponding rise in
property taxes. This was and remains an imperative policy for
California. However, the measure also exempted all commercial property
from regular tax reassessment.

Paradoxical
to the law's initial intent, the commercial property loopholes in
Proposition 13 have actually shifted the tax burden away from
corporations and onto the backs of residential property owners.

Nobody in California benefits – not small businesses, major
corporations or workers – when we fail to develop an educated work
force, halt progress on important infrastructure projects, cut vital
services and go more than $24 billion in debt. As a reader wrote in
response to an opinion piece I published recently: "My business
benefits when I am able to hire decently educated employees who can
spell, use good grammar, do math and solve new problems. I need
maintained roads and police and fire services as well, or my customers
will go elsewhere."

In their July 16 Op-Ed article, "UC system: layoffs, not pay cuts,"
Cooter and Edlin suggest that the way to solve the University of
California system's budget crisis is to lay people off, not to cut
salaries across the board. "With employees paid up to 20% below what
peer institutions pay ... the best people will leave," they note
plaintively ... Despite the fact that Cooter and Edlin are unquestionably outstanding
members of UC Berkeley's law school, note what gets left out of their
story. They argue for "staff" layoffs, but when looked at closely, what
they really mean is layoffs for anyone but professors.

In spite of favorable financial
ratings, the UC Regents have declared a financial emergency allowing
the University President to unilaterally impose extraordinary budgetary
actions. AFSCME Local 3299 proposes alternative emergency budget
measures that protect essential student and patient care services, while
redirecting funds from areas that can most withstand temporary reductions.
These reductions can provide a stop-gap until UC’s spending priorities
are changed to permanently reflect UC’s intended mission as a public
University.

by Charles Schwartz, Professor Emeritus, University of California,
Berkeley

On April 11, I wrote a letter to UC President
Mark Yudof, complaining about a document put out by his office, titled,
“The UC Budget: Myths & Facts”, which I described as a “load of
lies and half-truths.” ... Now I have a letter from Patrick J. Lenz, UC’s
Vice President for Budget, which says at the outset: "President Yudof shared your April 11
letter with me and asked me to respond on his behalf. I regret that you
found "The UC Budget: Myths & Facts” misleading, and I am pleased
to have the opportunity to address your concerns ...

California State University students have sued the CSU Board of Trustees, claiming the university illegally billed them twice for tuition - accepting one payment in June for the fall semester and then demanding more money this month for the same semester.

The chairman of the UC Board of Regents "defends" enormous wage disparities at UC:

... At the same time, we operate in markets. The University of
California competes with the world's premier institutions, both in
terms of recruitment and retention. And top talent requires competitive
compensation, an unavoidable fact of life. That said, the people we
hire typically could command far greater salaries at private
universities or medical institutions. So we face a balancing act. The economy is dismal, and funding has
been slashed by the Legislature. But we also have an obligation to
California to maintain our historic level of excellence at campuses,
hospitals and research enterprises, a mission that only will grow more
important in the ascendant information economy. That means installing good people in key leadership roles ...

On the same July day that the UC Board of Regents cut $813 million from UC budgets - setting in motion pay cuts, layoffs and campus cutbacks - the board quietly approved pay raises, stipends and other benefits for more than two dozen executives.

The cash-strapped University of California - forced to lay off employees, cut pay and offer fewer classes because of deep cuts in state funding - has now agreed to lend the state nearly $200 million...